


Aftermath

by TonightNoPoetryWillServe



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Khan!POV, Possibly Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:56:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonightNoPoetryWillServe/pseuds/TonightNoPoetryWillServe
Summary: Kirk visits Khan in prison after the events of ST: Into Darkness.
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Khan Noonien Singh
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I am so fascinated by their dynamic and want to write them together, but not sure I can actually get Kirk to go for it after Khan killed Pike. Maybe in an AU... but for now, here's a little snippet of an interaction for me to explore writing in Khan's voice.

Khan was not expecting visitors, certainly not the visitor indicated by the footsteps he heard approaching. _Kirk._ Khan did not move from where he was lying on the cot, arm over his eyes, not even when Kirk entered the room and spoke his name. There was still a force field between them, but no one had come this close to him since he’d been imprisoned. 

“Captain,” he replied, voice cold and emotionless.

“You gave your blood to Lucille Harewood. Do you anticipate any lingering effects from the transfusion, aside from her recovery?”

That wasn’t the question he’d expected. He let his arm drop away and regarded the other man. There was something… different, about him. Something in the way he held himself, probably not discernible to any but the most observant. It was familiar. Khan rolled to his feet in one easy movement and walked closer to the forcefield. 

“Answer the question,” Kirk said, obviously impatient.

He had no reason to give this man any information, this man who had pretended to have a conscience—who perhaps did have a conscience, but not one that prevented him from having a first officer willing to kill. To think, he’d accused the Vulcan of being unwilling to even break bone. He answered anyway: “There aren’t enough data points to form a conclusion, but it appears that the more grievous the injury, the more severe and lasting the impacts of using my blood to heal it.”

“What sort of impacts?”

“Some of the traits granted by my blood may be passed on: strength, endurance—”

“Aggression?”

Yes, there was something different about him. Khan smiled coldly. “Is there something you wish to tell me, Captain?”

Kirk ignored the question. “So, hypothetically, if your blood was used to revive someone from the dead, they could expect a greater impact?”

_Ah._ “Had a brush with death recently?”

Kirk looked mildly annoyed, but the conclusion was obvious, and he did not deny it. “You damaged our warp core. The only way to repair it was to expose myself to deadly levels of radiation.”

“You died for your family, as I would have.” How fascinating. Somehow, it gave him a measure of peace, to know that his blood lived on somewhere else. “You’re one of mine now, Captain.”

“The hell I am,” Kirk replied.

“Our families are more alike than you might wish to believe. After all, your Commander Spock killed my crew to protect his own.” 

Kirk looked shocked. “What are you—Oh my God, no. Khan, your crew is alive.”

Khan stared at him, disbelieving.

“Spock removed your crew from the torpedoes; they’re all safe and sound. He would never have killed 72 people in their sleep.”

He was telling the truth, Khan was sure of it. Something in him loosened, gave way. He still had not failed completely. “Your Vulcan seemed capable of it; he was quite furious when he came after me.”

“Well, yeah,” Kirk said, shifting a bit uncomfortably. “He thought you killed me.”

_Interesting._ “What is to be done with my crew?”

“They’re discussing that now. They won’t be harmed, of course, but nothing further has been decided.”

“And what is your position on the matter?”

Kirk shrugged. “It doesn’t sit well with me to leave them in cryo-sleep, but I’m not sure there’s a great alternative. Not if they’re like you.” 

“Like me?”

“Bloodthirsty and dangerous.”

“Ah. Will you let me know what is decided, Captain?”

A pause. “I’ll make sure someone does, yeah.”

“I ask that you return to share the verdict.”

Kirk frowned, considering him in silence for a long moment. “Fine.”

“Thank you.”

Without another word, Kirk turned on his heel and headed for the door.

“Captain?” 

He paused but did not turn around.

“Exercise. Extremely strenuous exercise. It will help.”

Now Kirk looked over his shoulder, gave a curt nod, and left. 

Khan sat down to wait. All was not lost, not yet.


End file.
